mcharl02

Thank you to all who offered their experiences in this thread - very helpful! I may have more once all my options are finalized

I'm not coming straight out of undergrad. I've been working for most of the past 5 years, and in the past 2 years I've been in the consulting industry. Most of my senior colleagues at my consulting firm have MBAs. However, I decided (with help speaking with my bosses and others who know me) that business school wasn't something I felt comfortable with. I perceived it as essentially paying for a network and taking classes on subjects I would be better off learning about 'on-the-job'. My approach to thinking about grad programs has been a compromise of sorts. I wanted to pursue a serious field and I have a strong affinity and interest in mathematics and statistics, but my interest isn't deep enough to commit the time for a PhD. My overarching goal is to improve my 'brand' as a potential employee, helping myself for the next few decades as it seems a graduate degree is becoming more and more 'typical' (for better or for worse). Hence, I don't feel TOO uncomfortable by the idea of going to a 'cash cow' program or a program where the faculty might be more transient (if I'm not looking for recommendations to a PhD program or research efforts on my CV - how much does that matter?). But that's not to say I discount that entirely. Of course, the biggest factor (and the one I can't really ask strangers for help with) is how much tuition I can afford. But I want to make sure I'm considering all the right variables (job placement of past students, placement support, duration of program, faculty members) and asking the right questions. A lot of the information out on the internet and in places like these forums seems geared towards people aiming for a PhD or people who have the goal of doing serious academic work, so it has been difficult to learn about the experiences of others in situations similar to mine.

I'm an applicant to Statistics Master's programs with every intent of going into industry and no PhD goals. Most people using GradCafe forums are more concerned with PhD programs - so I'm curious if anyone browsing this particular thread has any perspective on choosing a master's program purely for job prospects. Part of me feels a little uncomfortable enrolling in a "cash cow" - but should it matter much to me? Will employers care so much about the 'brand' of the school and be largely ignorant of the in-academia reputation of a program (i.e. making a program like Columbia's worth the premium price)? Curious to see if anyone has any experience grappling with this dilemma